Electronic equipment such as televisions, telephones, radios, and computers are constructed using semiconductor components such as integrated circuits, memory chips, and the like. The semiconductor components are typically constructed from various microelectronic devices fabricated on a semiconductor substrate, such as transistors, capacitors, diodes, resistors, and the like. Each microelectronic device is typically a pattern of conductive, semiconductive, or insulation regions formed on the semiconductor substrate.
In order to decrease the size, or linewidth, of the microelectronic device, the size and thickness of conductive, semiconductive, and insulation regions forming each microelectronic device must be reduced. As the linewidth of the microelectronic device is scaled down into the deca-nano range (&lt;0.1 micron), thin films are often used to form the microelectronic device. These thin films generally have a thickness of less than 1,000 .ANG.. The micro-thickness of the thin film makes the thin film susceptible to significant oxidation damage. The thin film is particularly susceptible to oxidation damage during subsequent fabrication processes that include temperature cycles that are above 350 degrees Centigrade.
One such microelectronic device that may utilize a thin film is a transistor, such as a gallium arsenide metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET), a heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET), or the like. Transistors having a linewidth in the deca-nano range often utilize thin films in the fabrication of a gate for the transistor. The thin film gate is formed on the semiconductor substrate and operates to control the flow of current through the transistor. Oxidation damage to the thin gate transistor reduces the performance of the gate. In some cases, the entire micro-thickness of the thin film gate can be destroyed by oxidization, making the transistor inoperable.